


Beauty

by LiteratureOrgasm



Series: Just Breathe [3]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Collars, Daddy Kink, Dom Merlin, Domestic Fluff, Flashbacks, Gentle Dom Merlin, Height Differences, Hurt Eggsy, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Eggsy, POV Merlin, Poor Merlin, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Self-Worth Issues, Service Domination is my Jam, Service Kink, Service Submission, Service Top, Silence Kink, Size Difference, Still bad at tagging y'all, Sub Eggsy, Tags May Change, Torture, Triggers, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2018-07-12 13:34:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7107013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiteratureOrgasm/pseuds/LiteratureOrgasm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back in the field again, Eggsy is determined to show that he is able to compartmentalize just as well as any veteran agent; he will prove that nothing will get in his way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bravado

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo! I'm not dead! Hope there are people out there still interested in this series. Haha.
> 
> Edited by [PirateShipRevenge](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateShipRevenge)
> 
> I own nothing. I just write these things for my own twisted satisfaction.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the field again, Eggsy is determined to show that he is able to compartmentalize just as well as any veteran agent; he will prove that nothing will get in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! I'm not dead! Hope there are people out there still interested in this series. Haha.
> 
> Edited by [PirateShipRevenge](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateShipRevenge)
> 
> I own nothing. I just write these things for my own twisted satisfaction.

_”Caradoc. Caradoc, **report**. Where are ye?”_ Despite the lack of answer for what seems like an eternity, the voice trying to gain the agent's attention is calm as ever: accent crisp with an underlying lilt as he lines up orders and inquiries alike for the assistants in the room, then goes silent to wait for an answer in tense silence. When nothing comes forth, attention is switched to the other agent that he is keeping an eye on to try to keep this mission from going completely tits up. _“Bollocks. 'Ve lost visual. Lancelot, can ye see him?”_

The sounds of running and gun fire are all that answer first, then a low voice breaks into his ear a moment later. _”Negative, sir. We were separated when the comms went down several minutes ago. Last I saw, he was taking out several hostiles and leading them away from the target room while I got the files and I also found a hard drive. I am not sure what it is, but I took it as well.”_ A breathless grunt echoes and she continues on as if she hadn't just taken out a man that had to have nearly three stone on her in pure muscle, _“I have them and I have cleared the way to the outside, well on my way to the pick up point, but I cannot find him. What are your orders? Do I go back and attempt an extraction?”_ Lancelot's words are professional, but those that truly know the young woman would be able to hear the thinnest thread of uncertain fear in her tone. 

Tempting as it is, Merlin knows that it is paramount that the files - as well as the random hard drive that may contain more information - reaches the proper hands. Hundreds, if not thousands, of lives could be at stake and they were currently on a short and brutal time frame. Merlin knows that he absolutely cannot allow his own thoughts and feelings to get in the way of his choices when it comes to any mission; it was one of the things he and Eggsy had both promised would never happen when this whole thing between them had begun. So, with a swallow that is audible only to only himself, _”no. Continue forward with the mission, Lancelot. We need t'get those files to their proper place. We cannae afford t-”_ the tech wizard is cut off by a sharp gasp that very blatantly gives away the shock felt by the young agent a moment before she interrupts the handler.

_”But sir! Eg-”_

_” **Lancelot**. Ye will not, I repeat, **will not** forget what it is ye need t'do by letting sentimentality cloud yur judgement. Now, turn around the corner, Lamorak is waiting for ye.”_

An exhale heavy enough for the glasses to pick up is released and followed by a terse 'yes, sir,' then the closing of the black cab's door as she gets in and begins the silent trip back to headquarters. Merlin immediately shuts off the feed to Lancelot's glasses and breathes deeply, watching the static of the screen that is supposed to show him Caradoc's view for a few moments. There is no sound nor is there any signal of any kind from any of the precautionary measures that every Kingsman field agent wears so that they may be tracked and found if captured and/or injured. A light tap on one of the wizard's broad shoulders brings Merlin from his rapid thoughts, the technician looking up from his seat and raising a single brow at Nimue, one of his younger assistants.

”D'ye have any word, Nimue? Caradoc's feed cut out more than fifteen minutes ago an' the trackers in his suit aren't triggering, so he is either unconscious or no longer within his suit.”

”No, sir. Caradoc hasn't sent out a distress signal and we cannot activate any of them for some reason. There are four in his current arsenal, yet when we try, nothing happens.” There are wrinkles apparent at the corners of the dark haired woman's eyes, the only thing betraying her frustration at the failure of their previously thought foolproof technology. 

Normally, Merlin would try to offer some form of comfort to her in response, as Nimue was one of the techs that was very fond of Eggsy and his shenanigans whenever he would try out new things they had created, but he was holding on to his composure by just a very thin thread himself. Only with years of being what he is keeps the lanky man from sweeping everything from his station with one arm in a fit of rage, face politely blank as he offers her a dismissive nod before turning back to gaze at his multiple screens intently.

This was the first operation that Eggsy had been sent on after he had spent that grueling month breaking up that child trafficking ring a mere two weeks ago. Both Merlin and Arthur had thought that it had perhaps been too soon to send the young man back out in the field, but no one could stand in the way of Eggsy once he had made up his mind as the boy personified stubbornness to the very last when he wanted to. Merlin grabs his clipboard and sends off all the information he has on the facility, the people in it and the mission specifications in a secure email before he picks up his phone to dial one of his out of office contacts.

”Gwion? Aye, Tis Merlin. I am in need of a boon, lad...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Suggestions? Prompts can be left in my Askbox on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/literatureorgasm) ! I could use the practice~


	2. Filthy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the past shows that it will not allow itself to be forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, please heed the tags. This is going to get rough and it may have some triggers in it that will be harmful for people. This will touch upon things that people have experienced, of which I am one, so I know that reading it may be difficult. Please, be safe and take care of yourself, okay?

_Floating. Drifting in emptiness. Silence and nothing else, but then..._

_Fire. Fire, liquid hot and singing along nerves already alight with a veritable lightening storm of flashes, dances merrily along skin made tender by touches that were anything but soft._

_Screams. Long wails and keens. Sharp spikes of agony. Muffled rattles and breathy sounds of an animal in pain._

_'Is... Is that coming from me?' is the faint thought managed before something hard wraps around his throat._

_No air. No air. Fire. Pain. Pain. **Painpainpain...**_

_'Nononono.. **NO**... Please... Please... Stop.... Don't... I c- **can't**...' The lights flicker or perhaps it is his eyes.... Either way..._

_Relief. Nothingness._

***

_Darkness. Flashes that are blurred with shapes accompanied by more fire and cracks of thunder that sometimes... Sometimes sounds like laughter, but melt into more flames and then there is nothing but darkness again, but this time it is welcome._

_So very welcome._

***

Awareness is slow in coming this time, but clearer, which was likely the intention of the ice cold water that drenched the pale, trembling form. The room housing its not so lucky guest is very nearly bare – a twelve by twelve box of unadorned concrete with a mounted light affixed in the corner just to the right of the steel and likely reinforced door. Despite being the only light source, the uncovered bulb does quite the job in illuminating the dismal cell, allowing moss green eyes made blurry by drugs – or perhaps injury, but likely both – to slowly assess their surroundings. In the room besides the door, lightbulb and blank gray walls, there is a drain about the size of a small plate off to the side, which allows for him to note that the bare floor is slightly angled. The water that had poured on him seems to have come from a metal spout situated to the side of him far enough away not to be able to reach and turned just at the right way to hit whomever is placed where he currently is in the face. 

_'Lovely, that is.'_

' _Easier clean up, eh_...?' is the sardonic thought that flits through the agent's mind as he watches the water trickle towards the drain for just a few seconds before continuing his silent perusal; he slowly tilts his head back to take in the manacles around each of his wrists, noting the multiple burns along his arms with a sort of detached interest before moving on. The chains hook to each of the thick metal bands is just long enough to allow him to hang by his weight, but so short that his arms are forced into an uncomfortable splay. The man's legs are faring not much better, bound in such a way that his ankles are crossed and forces a kneeling position in which all weight is distributed directly to the knees on the hard surface of the ground. The position would not have been the worst he had been made to endure had it not been for the spreader bar forcing said knees apart at such a wide angle that it puts a very real strain on the extremely flexible agent's hips and legs.

After taking a few moments to test the restraints -which didn't budge even the tiniest bit – he takes a moment to inventory his various injuries and start figuring out what had to be done to get out of this particular bind. He began a mental checklist as he swept his gaze over his own body, vaguely tucking away the fact that he is naked into the back of his thoughts for now. _'At least a dozen burns on each arm focused along the forearms tha' look like an inch or there abouts long an' 'bout a finger or so wide, some wit' th'looks of maybeh soon gettin' infected. Temple feels righ' sore an' m'all fuzzy, so prolly 'ave a concussion. Random cuts on m'sides, no' too deep, jus' enough t'sting, but still startin' t'itch...'_ The young man's inner thoughts trail off with the shifting of his lower half, a harsh pain arcing from between his thighs and up his back. His eyes widen and his breath sharpens, an involuntary whimper lodging in his throat as the fuzziness in his mind begins to, unmercifully, clear completely.

***

_The voices are far away and muffled, like a dream but nothing so pleasant. Everything is so bright, but sometimes dark. Bright. Dark. A touch along his arm, but... can't move away... Quiet murmurs. Barely able to tell the voices to... ' **Stop.** ' The voices laugh. Then there is only one voice left, speaking softly near his ear. Tone oddly warm as it whispers filthy words in a timbre meant for endearments while fingertips trail along the bare skin of their unwilling guest's strong thigh, fingertips not calloused by hard work like the only hands that should be touching him. **Wrong.**_

_Two hands – grips strong and unyielding – grasp his hips and move him over onto his stomach on what he is just now realizing is a not very soft mattress that boasts nothing on it but a scratchy sheet. Panic sings along through his veins, but nothing responds, legs and arms lax while those rough hands move him how they wish. A whimper spills from his lips without him meaning for it to, eyes wide and breathing ragged as a laugh that suddenly sounds like that bastard Dean's echoes in his ears before a heavy weight settles between his splayed thighs..._

*** 

Eggsy snaps out of his thoughts, entire body coated in sweat and his breathing so erratic that he'd soon hyperventilate if he couldn't calm down. He looks around wildly to see what had brought him out of his fugue, then a crackle sounds in the cell before someone speaks, low and smug with the sort of blandness that comes from a person that had trained to make sure their voice held no hint of an accent.

”Well, well, well. Looks like our lovely sleeping beauty has finally decided to grace us with his presence...”


	3. Deserving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _'They say Gwion could tell of events before they occurred, that Gwion could foretell Prophecy and fate. That if anyone knew all that was or would be, then to seek Gwion...'_
> 
> Merlin struggles to handle the realities of what may be happening to his boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! I'm not dead! Hope there are people out there still interested in this series. This chapter will be short and un-Beta'd just to get it out of the way so I can get back into the swing of things. Sorry. I know, I am horrid. Beat me up in the comments. (u_u) 
> 
> I own nothing. I just write these things for my own twisted satisfaction.
> 
>  
> 
> **Warnings: Explicit details of rape.**

The low voice that rolls over the line offers no comfort. It is spiced with that hint of India and cooled with a touched of British accent, rough with fatigue after hours of going over file after file with the resident Tech Head with no discernible results that would help the situation.

 _"Merlin, my friend. I have gone over the information you have sent me with the finest of combs and found not a single indicator of where your Caradoc may be located."_ Gwion, the 'All Seeing', sounds a bit off, his normal tone usually one to hold no indication of emotion no matter the situation; so, of course, Merlin latches onto that slight hitch with all the fervor of a man running on nothing but coffee and fumes can manage, professionalism barely covering the raw hope in his brogue.

"What? Have ye found somethin'? If'n ye have, I need t'know, Gwion." By the end of the short sentence, that hope and a slight desperation is clearly leaking through, but Merlin pays it no mind and knows that his staff will do the same as they want Eggsy back nearly as much as their boss. A few moments pass where the other side of the line is silent before Gwion exhales softly, the only sound betraying his unrest at having to give the next bit of news to Merlin.

 _"That ring Eggsy broke up? Seems like he may have missed a branch or maybe two. Problem is, the parts he may have missed are... More open to older victims while being even deeper into the darker aspects of the sex trade."_ Gwion sends the scant bit of info he has to Merlin despite his split second of hesitance. _"They tend to run more towards fetish torture, things like that,"_ a heavy exhale, _"usually ending in snuff. Merlin, if your agent is in their hands, I am not sure how long he has. Especially if his cover has been made by them."_

Merlin barely registers the words of his longtime friend after getting the file sent to him about the White Lotus 'club'. The written information is enough to make rage seethe under his skin, but the pictures... Oh, the pictures are terrifyingly brutal. The thought of his Eggsy - his gentle and beautiful little sub - in the hands of these monsters makes him want to howl in agony with an animalistic pain he hadn't felt before. His voice is gruff as he finally tunes back in to what Gwion is saying, "Aye... Jus', please, keep searching on yur end an' I will work on mine."

 _"Understood. It will be my highest priority. I understand how high Caradoc ranks in the Knights."_ Gwion suspects there is more to it than that, but that aspect has nothing to do with what he needed to get done, so he just got down to his job after Merlin hangs up.

Merlin pulls a callous roughened hand up over his face tiredly after removing his glasses, fingers making their way all the way to the nape of his neck to squeeze to try to relieve some of the pressure of the headache that had been pounding in the back of his skull for more hours than he could currently remember. He had sent Lancelot home hours ago, but - after nearly fifteen minutes of arguing - she had ended up bunking in one of headquarters rooms, not wanting to be far away if something in Eggy's situation changed. A slender hand slides by the slightly blurred vision of his right eye, a mug that is far larger than the standard one from the staff break room sending the delicious aroma of fresh, non-crap coffee to his nose. One of his hands automatically snakes out to grab it and he is taking a tongue scorching gulp seconds later with nary a flinch, releasing a soft sigh after. A blink, then he remembers to look up to the tech trainee that had brought it to him and offer her an expression that tries its best to be a smile of thanks.

"Tha' is much appreciated, Minerva. Make sure tha' everyone is taking breaks or short naps as needed. Dismissed." Minerva nods and practically scampers off, a small smile on her face as she had heard that the Tech head was much worse than he seemed a moment ago. Another long drink burns the wizard's throat as he tilts his cup to his lips, sharp eyes darting about his multiple screens, hoping that something he missed may suddenly appear and lead him to his boy. Not more than half an hour passes when Nimue appears next to him with a pensive look on her face.

"Sir? We have... A communication."

"Wha'? When? Show me." 

"It arrived at the location where Lancelot was picked up about forty-five minutes ago in a simple brown envelope. After making sure it was nothing dangerous or there was anything in it that was a tracking device, it was picked up to be sent down here to you as it was labelled.. Well, it says 'Merlin,' Sir." With every word, the head Tech had tensed and with the last few, he was fairly vibrating, knowing that this had to be a communication that involved his boy. It simply had to be. After taking the envelope and opening it to reveal a simple USB drive, Merlin grabs one of their burner laptops to plug the USB in after turning the laptop on. The only file on it is a video, quite large and labelled 'Sleeping Beauty,' so - with trepidation - he clicks on it.

*** (Video: **Bold** is Merlin reacting to what is happening in the video or his thoughts towards the video)*** 

_The video is silent, a view only of white wall, but soon shifts to the right to show two people, careful only to show from the shoulders down. One is in a finely made three piece suit, the other in nothing but a towel around his semi-muscled form, the man white with no visible scarring on his shoulders or nearly hairless chest. The two seem to be talking, as their arms gesture every now and then, but there is still no sound, so that is all that can be gathered. The camera angle suddenly changes and with the change, shows a bed shoved unceremoniously in a corner,_ **Merlin's breath hitches sharply into nearly stopping upon the sight displayed on the bed** : _Eggsy is completely bare, face up and clearly unconscious, body riddled with cuts and bruises that are so deliberately placed they could be nothing but the beginnings of interrogation; and beginnings they were as they were all very light and in places that would only hurt badly, but not cause the victim to pass out or die._

 _The man in the towel is suddenly in frame,_ **Merlin picks up the laptop and goes to a secluded part of the lab at this point as he feels close to losing control as he knows where this is going** , _walking to roll Eggsy over, which seems to rouse the boy just a tad, but not very much as he doesn't react much to having his arm caressed by the disgusting man. Finally, the terrible event starts when the man moves the young agent about on the bed, Eggsy's form obviously lax due to drugging, face finally visible - eyes wide and uninhibitedly terrified -,_ **blood wells in the palm of his hand as nails dig into flesh, his boy so helpless and scared without him there to help,** _his lips parting as he clearly says 'stop' over and over. The man parts his thighs and moves between them without his towel after positioning Eggsy up on to his knees and chest,_ **Merlin wants to shut it off, but he could never live with himself if he was such a yellow coward that he couldn't even watch what his darling boy had had to live through, so he forces his eyes to remain on the screen as** , _the sound blares on the instant the man thrusts his condom sheathed cock in with no preparation whatsoever and Eggsy's agonized scream rents the air. The man stills and seems to savor it as the boy beneath him keens softly and pants shallowly, seeming to allow him a moment to get used to the feeling of him inside, but no longer than that moment as he pulls out halfway and begins a punishing pace, the lube from the condom he had put on the only thing that seems to be keeping the boy beneath him from tearing more than the initial penetration._

 **Merlin nearly roars with fury watching Eggsy's arms forced to cross at the wrist at the small of his back,** _Eggsy's back arches even more harshly, which allows the man to blanket his body over his and piston harder. A thin trail of blood smears along the back of Eggsy's right thigh,_ **nearly everyone in the tech room jumps as the normally stoic Merlin stands with a roar and sends his mug crashing against the wall across the room, only to sit back down silently a moment later,** _the only sounds falling from the boy now grunts of pain and whimpers. The man speeds up and Eggsy cries out in helpless agony, pleading, 's-stop... Abs- MERLIN!'_ **Merlin nearly throws the laptop in reaction to his baby boy crying out for him and, not only that, remembering not to say his real name, even in pain.**

 _The man SLAMS into him one last time, shuddering and biting into Eggsy's shoulder as he circles his hips and pumps into the boy while he rides out his orgasm. After a few minutes, he pulls out_ , **face still not visible enough to the camera for Merlin to be able to run through his face recognition software later** , _walking off screen after pulling the condom off and tying it, keeping it in his hand. A few minutes pass, then what seems to be a medical person with a mask comes in to clean Eggsy up, doing a cursory check of his abused hole and walking away. Another figure walks onscreen, the well dressed one from before, chest and on down visible. Both hands raise to chest height, make two thumbs up... and the video goes black._

*** END VIDEO ***

Merlin doesn't know how long he sits there staring at the dark screen before there is a light tap on his shoulder and a box of tissues is in his vision. He looks up to see Minerva again, the bright orange of her curly bob like a halo around her bespectacled and freckled face as she offers him a small smile. He frowns and lifts a hand, aghast at the fact that he finds his cheeks wet, immediately hunching to make sure his face is not visible to the immediate room as he takes the tissues and begins to hastily clean his face.

"Duncha worreh nun, sur. I wuz th' onleh one tha' saw ya. Made sure tha' no one saw th' tissues too, eh." She offers him a pat on the shoulder as well as a smile and makes her way back to her desk, the young woman sure that Merlin was a better man than most thought. Merlin hears the girl's words and makes a note to himself to look into Minerva once he had his boy back...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Suggestions? Prompts can be left in my Askbox on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/literatureorgasm) ! I could use the practice~


	4. Clarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning: Explicit Detailing of non-consensual penetration.**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Whoo! I'm not dead! Hope there are people out there still interested in this series. Haha.
> 
> Edited by [PirateShipRevenge](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateShipRevenge)
> 
> I own nothing. I just write these things for my own twisted satisfaction.

The person that walked in was well dressed: bespoke suit in dark cranberry with black pinstripes, the waistcoat a charcoal grey dark enough to be just this this side of being black; the tie was a rich burgundy which matched the suit's buttons and the pocket handkerchief matched the waistcoat to contrast with the crisp white of their button down dress shirt. The finely pressed charcoal trousers finished off the look... _'But those dull arse brogues 'ave really got t'go,'_ Eggsy thinks mildly, pain making him a bit delirious at this point. His eyes snap up to his visitor's face as he hears a faint chuckle, apparently having spoken his fashion advice out loud moments before. Their hair is blond, light and slicked back in a short, classic men's cut that was fashionable for both genders nowadays. Fine, almost elvish features grace their face delicately; not overtly feminine nor are they glaringly masculine in presentation. They speak and their voice is soft, pitched in a way where is falls in a sort of middle ground with no defining features.

 

“Ahhh. Our beauteous Aurora. We did not think you would need such a long time to recover after playtime. Our... Sincerest apologies,” another chuckle leaves their lips at this, “however, since our last session got nothing – ahem, except profit, that is – we will be having another. Isn't that fun~!” They pause to look down at Eggsy brightly, as if expecting a positive answer.

 

All the young agent provides is a mulish, if pain tinged expression, then turns his face to point down towards the floor to stare at it stubbornly. His 'host' frowns – a little moue of their lips -, though Eggsy doesn't see it and sighs like a parent disappointed in their child. They move closer and stop close enough that they can see the injuries to the young man's body closer, tsking softly in a very condescending way.

 

“Dearest Aurora, that will be your name until you tell us what we want to know you see, if you just cooperate, you won't have to hurt anymore. Come now. Be a good boy~” They have the gall to reach out and run their fingers down one of Eggsy’s bound arms and Eggsy snarls, lifting his head to snap at them almost like a feral dog would, teeth bared and eyes blazing. His 'host' simply jerks their hand back in one smooth, graceful movement and laughs throatily, shaking their head. “You see, **that** is not being a good boy. I will have to make sure to give you to one of our higher paying customers today, I think. Yes.” They nod and stand, smoothing out their pant legs and turning sharply on their heels. One slender fingered hand lifts idly and waves back above their shoulder as they exit the room. “Have fun, pretty.”

 

Once the door has closed and the sound of the locks clicking fades, Eggsy relaxes minutely, looking around for just a moment before sighing. Before he can even begin to think of anything resembling an escape or anything of the sort, though, smoke begins to seep from that same pipe that had hit him with water to wake him up in the first place. The gas has an oddly yellowish tinge to it and Eggsy panics, thinking he is being poisoned, jerking at his bonds, then there is nothing but darkness.

   
**  
 

“ _Is he waking up finally? I like at least **some** fight in them.”_

 

_“Don't you worry. Even drugged, he is still a feisty one, I promise. Which is why we have him partially bound. We wouldn't want one of our prized customers to get hurt.”_

 

_“Heh. He is a pretty one. Even marked up like he is. I just wish I had been the first to get at him. Oh, well. I can make up for it with what I've paid, correct?”_

 

_“Oh, yes. You can do anything short of removing flesh, maiming or permanently damaging him. With your experience, I know you know when to hold yourself back, yes?”_

 

_“Of course, oh. Oh, look. The poor dear is trying to pull out of his restraints. I suppose I am up. Off you go, now. It is my turn.”_

 

_A chuckle. “Oh. Yes. Our Aurora is awake. Have fun~” The sound of footsteps and a door closing echoes in his hazy mind, then more footsteps, getting closer as a shadow blocks out the light above him._

 

“ _Greetings. I am Ivan. I will be your company for a time. Pleasure to meet you, lovely. Now. Feel free to voice any complaints you may have. I will note them and adjust accordingly.” He laughs softly, the sound very much like a doting father would make for their child._

   
**  
 

He can hear them when he wakes, talking over him as if he were a child or a piece of furniture, laughing and discussing what can or cannot be done. He gives up on being subtle in his attempts to escape when he hears word of 'maiming,' pulling on the cloth wrapped metal restraints that bound his hands above his head, and arching his back from the bed. He knew this was not the best way to escape, but the drugs mixed with the pain were a struggle to work through, not to mention the memories flooding his mind that he was too compromised to compartmentalize like he would normally do. 

 

The man, Ivan, is small – perhaps 5'4 at most-, but the look in his green, so very green, eyes is terrifyingly hungry and cold. His face is very handsome in a sort of movie star sort of way – classic cleft in the chin, knife edged cheekbones, strong jaw, steady build and clean cut hair with a bit of distinguished greying at the temples. But those eyes, they just ruin the effect, roving over Eggsy's struggling form with the easy assurance of a predator knowing its prey is well and truly caught. Eggsy stops moving and gazes at the man assessingly, unable to see much from his prone position on his back on the bed. Ivan nods approvingly and reaches to pat Eggsy on the stomach, ignoring his flinch.

 

“See? Much easier to just... Give in, lovely. Much easier.” Ivan turns away and there is the sound of metal on metal before he turns back to Eggsy, a surgical scalpel in his hand. “Now. We are going to play. The easier you make this, the easier it will be, but – it is up to you.” When he moves closer to press the scalpel to the line that separates the agent's lower abdomen and thigh, Eggsy shifts away and sucks in a breath instinctively which leads Ivan to 'tsk' and use one hand to grip his hip firmly. That hand, despite its relatively small size is stronger than it looks, grip bruisingly tight as Ivan presses the tip of the scalpel into Eggsy's flesh until it is about halfway in. At this point, the agent is just pressing his lips together in an effort not to make a sound, not wanting to give Ivan the pleasure of it. Ivan chuckles, as if he knows. 

 

“See. This is where you can make any complaints you have known, lovely. I will note them and be sure to get back to them as we move on.” He laughs to himself as he slowly moves the scalpel up a few inches, the gash he leaves behind beginning to bleed copiously as he goes. “Oh, my. You are a bleeder. How fun, but I have to keep you from passing out, don't I? Darn it.” The scalpel is removed, much to Eggsy's relief and a bandage is applied to the wound, only to have the scalpel placed against his flesh on the exact same spot on the other side this time. “Have to be symmetrical, don't we?” Ivan repeats the process, even the bandage, tapping the scalpel against the chest of his victim before beginning to nick sharp little cuts into the young man's chest. He doesn't stop until there are at least a couple dozen of them, each deep enough to bleed slightly, but not enough to need medical attention. This is followed by a long, shallow cut down Eggsy's side all the way to his right hip where Ivan digs the scalpel in just to hear Eggsy's grunt.

 

“There we go. You are so quiet and non-reactive, lovely. Making me want to get out the big guns, but we have only just begun and I don't want to end our session prematurely~” His voice is sing-song, delighted and eager while he cuts a line down Eggsy's other side, pressing in deeper this time but still not enough to need anything but a good wipe of alcohol if pressed. The following moments are a blur to the young agent as various cuts are added to his body, a sort of haze falling over him as he begins to tune it out. A hard slap knocks him out of it, though, Eggsy coughing and groaning as he looks up into the smiling face of Ivan countless moments later.

 

“Now now. No falling asleep on me. Looks like we need to up the ante, don't we?” Ivan turns and there is the smell of heat and burning a few moments later. He turns back with a small metal rod, about six inches in length about the diameter of a pen. The last two inches or so glow a hot, scorching orange and Eggsy does his best not to shudder. “I know there was the rule of no lasting damage, but... I am sure I can pay enough to have my little bit of 'forgetfulness' forgiven.” The rod seems to have a cord, which leads Eggsy to believe it is plugged in and that it will not run out of heat any time soon. He sighs in resignation and braces himself as it touches his right inner thigh, biting his inner cheek and pressing his lips together hard to muffle the scream that wants to rip from his throat as the sensitive skin is attacked in such a way. What makes it so much worse is that Ivan does not simply press the rod to his skin, but _drags_ it along his skin, down his thigh a few inches before lifting it away. Eggsy is left whimpering under his breath, thighs trembling as he knows that the other is going to get the same treatment. He works his right hand against the cloth manacle carefully, pressing his thumb against the edge of it hard as Ivan presses the rod to his other inner thigh. He allows the scream to rip from his mouth this time, wanting Ivan to think he is a bit broken.

 

“Ahah! There we are! Such a pretty sound, my lovely boy. Keep them coming for me, if you will.” Ivan fairly crows with delight, moving back to where ever he is going for his tools and coming back with what looks like a rod with manacles on each end. He holds down one of Eggsy's now struggling legs, fastening the manacle around his lower thigh and tightening it, then doing the same with the other leg, the bar forcing his legs to stay spread quite wide. Eggsy feels a panic attack coming on, but just thinks of getting back to Merlin and feels a cold calm wash over himself, working his hand carefully against the manacle until he feels his thumb pop out of place. Ivan is too absorbed with getting whatever he has ready to notice the small movements of Eggsy's hand and Eggsy knows he only has one chance to try something, so he remains as he is for now. Ivan turns back with an assortment of things in his arms: a billyclub, a candlestick holder, a coat hanger, a knife... Almost all things one could find in the house.

 

“We can start the fun now~” Eggsy eyes widen as Ivan pulls out a bottle of lube and puts the scantest amount on the thick billyclub, eying between Eggsy's legs hungrily and the young man pants heavily in unease, knowing he has to act soon. He speaks for the first time, trying to draw Ivan closer, knowing he needs to get the man within arm's reach.

   
“Please.. Don't. I don't kno' wha' ya are payin', bu' please don't.” He tries on his best pleading look, but this only seems to fuel Ivan's need, the club sliding up along Eggsy's inner thigh and pressing below his balls against his tight and unprepared pucker.

 

“Plead all you want, lovely, it only makes it sweeter...” With these words, he plunges several inches of the club in with no warning, smirking at the agonized scream and writhing that it results in. He pulls it out and forces it back in, noting blood trickling down the skin of his victim's arsecheeks as he begins to work up a rhythm that gains a scream with each pump in. “That's it, pretty. Cry for me. Scream for Ivan. Whimper. That's it...” He chuckles and uses his free hand to grip one of the burns and **squeeze** at the same time he slams the club into the boy, Eggsy's shriek loud and uninhibited.

 

Eggsy arches in agony, panting and trying to hold back tears as he tries in vain to hold back more screams. Ivan leans over him, breathe warm over his throat and Eggsy is in so much pain that he almost forgets his plan as Ivan sinks his teeth into the side of his throat. The hand with the dislocated thumb carefully slides out of the manacle, then, with a speed he hand learned from training, his arm wraps around Ivan's neck and he snaps it without compunction. He wheezes as the full weight of the other lands on his abused body, especially the club still buried inside him, but he reaches for his other manacle and it relieved to find they had been lazy enough to use the easy release kind that can be unlocked with a few turns and pushes. He pushes the body off of him, not knowing if the room is monitored or not, carefully pulling the club out and deciding to worry about damage later. He grimaces in reaction to sitting up to undo the restraints on his ankles, then his thighs before getting off of the bed gingerly. Luckily, Ivan is wearing loose lounge pants, which Eggsy tugs off and very slowly pulls onto himself with a disgusted expression, but it was better than nothing. The lounge pants have pockets in which Eggsy puts every weapon he can fit, leaving the billyclub behind on the bed after carefully washing it free of his DNA in a nearby sink.

 

The door is unlocked and there is no guard outside it, which is surprising, a long concrete hallway with four doors on each side stretching out before him with stairs going up at the end. Eggsy expects a fight, so he doesn't let his guard down just because there is no one in this particular hallway. He quickly makes his way down the hallway, calm and mind empty except escape. The stairs seem to take forever to end and what he sees when he creeps down another hall and through a door is surprising: a club of sorts. It seems to be a gentleman's club, men dressed in barely there outfits dancing to sultry music on stage and prancing about between tables. He creeps along the edge, hoping if he is seen that he will be mistaken for one of the wait staff, but it doesn't last, as he sees one of the security personal pointing to him a couple of moments later. He begins running towards an exit sign, startled patrons into letting out angry exclamations as he vaults over tables to avoid security to get to the door.

 

One of the guards manages to catch him and he grabs a scalpel from his pocket, jamming it into his neck with a flourish and continuing to run in one smooth movement. Another guard manages to corner him and he jumps in the air, kicking the guard in the face, using his other leg to mule kick him in the chest before landing with a pained hiss, standing with a shudder and moving to the exit. He makes it out and looks around, having no idea where he is, but just needing to **go** and find his way home. He looks up and notes the name of the club to tell Merlin later and moves to the closest car, using his elbow to break the window out. He hears a commotion behind him and curses, getting into the car and hoping they don't notice him long enough for him to hotwire the automobile. His luck holds out just long enough to get the car started and he hears shouts as he drives away, screeching away and speeding through the streets faster than he ever had.

 

When he is sure that he isn't being followed anymore, he begs some change off someone - probably getting it simply because he looked so horrid - and finds a payphone, dialing a number only he knows, “Da... Come get me, please...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Suggestions? Prompts can be left in my Askbox on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/literatureorgasm) ! I could use the practice~


	5. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited and it feels so good... Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! I'm not dead! Hope there are people out there still interested in this series. Haha.
> 
> Edited by me. So like.. Probably so many mistakes. Ugh.
> 
> I own nothing. I just write these things for my own twisted satisfaction.
> 
> * http://www.pajiba.com/image/mark%20strong%20blue%20suit.jpg Suit Merlin is wearing

_A different world... One where pain is just a fleeting thought... What a concept..._

Merlin slumps in his seat as he stares at the middle blank screen of his multi-screened desktop, mind a whirl of nothing but thoughts of his boy and himself. Long-fingered hands reach out to wrap around a teacup filled with tea that has gone cold so long ago that the bare-headed man cannot even begin to recall when the tea had been placed there for him, yet he lifts the cup regardless and takes a sip with only the faintest of winces. The tea wets lips gone dry, chapped and split with teeth worrying at them unconsciously with inner – and obviously outward, though, no one dared to comment on it – dismay. The tall man doesn't seem to realize that the teacup is still poised at his lips until he nearly drops it – certainly saying something about his lack of awareness to his surroundings with how immersed in his thoughts he was – when a tap on his shoulder has him jerking his head up to meet the gaze of his superior. 

Arthur smiles, the expression still managing to be a tad boyish despite the somber cloud that taints the color of his world-weary gaze. “Well, is there any news on your boy, dear friend?” Arthur... Harry... lifts a hand to run fingers through his normally perfectly coiffed hair that currently shows the signs of having gotten the treatment previously as it is puffed and curled about his forehead in an unruly manner. The scar that marks his temple from the bullet that had barely been blocked by the frame of his glasses moves into a starburst of silver hair that leads into the bold chestnut color in a trail leading back that looks akin to a shooting star. The shake of Merlin's head brings a frown to Harry's face and he settles into a chair near his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. A soft swallow and Harry speaks with a face blanked to perhaps make the words that next flow from his mouth less... Harsh. “With... What I have thought about on the video you have described to me, I... We may not get him back as he was. Or... We may not--”

Merlin pushes the hand off of his shoulder with a snarl and turns to face his friend with an expression fierce as a warrior on the plains of his ancestors, eyes wild. “Dun ye say anythin' 'bout nuthin' like tha'! I will be getting' muh boy back an' I **will** find th' scumbags wh-who...” He sucks in a breath and turns away from Harry as he notices one of the younger techs trying to surreptitiously listen in on their conversation. Merlin swallows and bites his inner cheek until copper coats his tongue, the taste of it grounding him and his eyes drifting to a close for a moment as he pulls into himself to regain his normal stoicism so that he wouldn't be putting on a show. A gritting of the jaw makes muscles jump under the unshaven skin, nostril flaring for a moment before dark eyes open and a flick of the tongue wets lips once again gone dry. He turns himself more towards Harry, his best friend and just... Lets out a soft breath before continuing. "I **will** get him back, Harry. Plan all ye want fer th' wrong outcome, bu' I refuse ta think otherwise. I cannae... I cannae. Ye know tha'." 

Harry had remained quiet since the moment his hand had been knocked away, the older man lowering the appendage to his thigh to allow his friend his moment of anger and borderline desperation. When Merlin has finished speaking, Harry waits a moment before carefully starting again; this time with a more direct approach so that he knows he will be heard this time. "Absalom. I know. I know. You are aware of how very well acquainted I am with the feeling." The bespoke suited man smoothes a hand that shakes slightly down his front and shakes his head to dispell memories long past, the time for thinking of them was not now. "We must think rationally in order to get him back--" A sudden song rings out, All Out War by Cameron James, interrupting his words.

Merlin is across the room at his personal locker so fast that it is as if he has teleported, nearly ripping the wooden cabinet door off its hinges as he seeks his personal mobile from his satchel. He finds it about thirty seconds into the song and chokes back a sob as he hears a voice he had nearly thought he would never be graced with experiencing again. 

_'Da... Come get me, please...'_

Merlin nods and then remembers that Eggsy cannot see him and chokes out a gravelly 'aye' before clearing his throat, knowing he would need to be strong for his boy. "Aye, lad. I'll be comin' for ye. Yur gunna be safe with me, I promise. I'll find ye." He listens for a moment as Eggsy gives him the name of the club he had escaped from, memorizing it with a grim expression as he makes his way over to his desktop to begin pinpointing the booth that Eggsy was using to contact him using satellite signals. It takes several moments, but he is able to find him and is quite furious to find that his boy was taken to a place not far from Merlin's birthplace. Merlin shakes his head, unsure if this is coincidence or a planned occurrence - he would tuck it away and come back to it after... Just... After. 

Hanging up with the scared sounding young man is so hard that Harry actually has to gently take the phone from his hand and have a few words with Eggsy before hanging up for Merlin himself, patting the sweater-wearing technician on the shoulder. Harry turns and begins to issue orders to the techs in the room, getting handlers ready to begin giving orders to Kingsmen that he would be sending out. Four of their best are called to begin suiting up and moving to get on their jet. 

Merlin is on the heels of the agents when his elbow is grasped by Harry - no, Arthur, by the looks of the expression on his face. "Just where do you think you are going, Merlin? We need you here to orchestrate." Arthur gives him a look clearly meant to convey that he thinks Merlin is too compromised to even think about going on this mission, but Merlin merely shakes the hand from the patched elbow of his sweater and offers a sneer that he would no doubt begrudgingly apologize for later. 

"Yur right out of yur head if'n ye think I'm not goin' on this, _Arthur_." With that, he turns sharply and makes his way to his personal residence within the headquarters and actually suits* up. After making sure he is properly armed, the trip to the hanger is fairly short with the determined strides his lengthy legs take up. The men and one woman on the craft are not at all surprised to see him, except maybe perhaps in seeing him in his suit* for he rarely dressed as such. Merlin buckles himself in and they take off, the tablet in his hand appearing as if from nowhere as he begins to occupy his mind with all of the things he was about to do once he found himself at their destination.  
\--  
The air is chill once they land, a dark town car waiting for them all, standard Kinsman umbrellas for all five of them within. They all seat themselves for the trip through the city, which takes no more than twenty minutes - Merlin's leg bouncing unconsciously the closer they get to the location where his Eggsy is supposed to be. Once they are within a block, they get out of the car with caution after it stops, each agent casing the area and making sure there are no enemies nearby. When everything is deemed clear, Merlin is off like a shot, each step eating up the ground like it was nothing. 

When he reaches the booth, his heart freezes to find Eggsy slumped on the floor with his head downturned and barely moving. Merlin rips the booth door open and kneels, reaching out slowly with an urgent whisper, "Precious... Oh, lad, please..." He barely flinches as Eggsy lashes out and punches his shoulder, catching the younger man as he lunges forward at him. The older man coos and rocks, holding the struggling man close as he tries to help Eggsy come back to himself. "Lad. It's me. Shh. I gotcha. I gotcha. Its yur Da, baby boy." The struggling continues, his chest pummeled by fists that steadily lose strength as the moments pass. Unbeknownst to the two within the booth, they are guarded from the outside by Calogrenant and Eliwlod - the guards doing their best to ignore what is going on. After what feels like an eternity, Eggsy looks up, face streaked with tears and eyes unfocused as his split lips part to utter a rough whisper.

"Da?" Eggsy's voice trembles and he presses closer with a harsh sob that shakes his whole body so much that is must reach his very bones. Merlin nods and cradles the battered body of his boy close, rage filling him to the point of a murderous fury - yet he manages to stay gentle when he strokes Eggsy's sweat-soaked hair from his forehead so that he can press a soothing kiss to it to assure himself that, yes, his Eggsy was indeed in his arms. Eggsy had closed his eyes at the kiss to his forehead and when it is over he nearly frantically peppers several kisses along Merlin's jawline with soft noises that are not quite whimpers but are just as heartbreaking. "Da, Da, Da... Thank ya, thank ya... Fuckin' Christ..." He clings to Merlin for a few moments before inhaling sharply, pulling back to look up at his Da. "They... I didn't tell, 'em anythin', swear down." His face is as vulnerable as Merlin had ever seen it, torn free of its usual masks and fancy airs of cheekiness - something that only his Da got to see.

Merlin swallows the lump that forms in his throat as he remembers what he had seen, what he had... What he had _**heard**_. He nods and licks his lips before speaking. "Aye. I knew ye wouldn't." Merlin stands and helps his boy up carefully, wrapping an arm around Eggsy's upper back to guide him out of the booth slowly, knowing that his lad would likely be... Sore. The two outside of the booth flank them and keep a vigilant eye on their surroundings as they make their way to the town car to guide Eggsy in, where there are a few shock blankets, nutrient bars and a medical kit that would help with surface wounds.

There is a black cab ready to take Merlin and two of the others by the time Merlin has helped Eggsy clean up as best as he can. Eggsy makes a soft, keening sound that everyone but Merlin ignores as Merlin moves to leave - the older man moving in to tenderly cup the boy's face with his large hands and touch their foreheads together. "Dun ye worreh. I'll be back, dove." Eggsy Swallows and nods, kissing Merlin softly and allowing Merlin to move away, then exit the town car. He looks to Calogrenant and Eliwlod, then through the bulletproof window to watch the black cab pull away. His voice is a soft murmur, rough from screaming yet lilted with a kind of detached fascination.

"'e's gonna kill 'em all. Ain't 'e?" 

Calogrenant nods solemnly, face a perfect mask of blankness and goes back to cleaning her extra pistol - gazing out of the window opposite with her keen eyes as they begin driving toward their pick up point to wait for Merlin, Feirefiz and Erec.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments keep me writing. <3
> 
> Suggestions? Prompts can be left in my Askbox on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/literatureorgasm) ! I could use the practice~


	6. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! I'm not dead! Hope there are people out there still interested in this series. Haha.
> 
> Edited by me. So many errors, but I am trying to get you guys some chapters out, so...
> 
> I own nothing. I just write these things for my own twisted satisfaction.

The ride to the gentlemen's club is a silent one, each of the three in the back of the black cab knowing their mission well before so they had no need for spoken words - Feirefiz and Erec having had a word between themselves to try and watch out for Merlin as he might not be the most... Rational once they finally made it to their objective. Weapons are checked and re-checked, suits straightened and glasses are taken off to be checked and reaffixed to faces set with expressions untouched by the varied levels of intensity that each man no doubt felt. The automobile stops a half a block from the club and all three of the men get out, umbrellas in hand as they do so. Merlin leads the two shorter men as he strides forward with a purpose that he hasn't felt in years, jaw set, eyes blazing behind the shine of his glasses. 

There is no line, the parking lot filled with automobiles that were easily in the hundred thousand pound range or more each. This is of no importance besides a bit of pride to the tech wizard as he knows these are not the easiest of cars to hot-wire and steal, so it was yet another point in favor of his boy's brilliance to have escaped with one of these depraved asshole's vehicles. The man at the door of the club is large, even larger than Merlin himself is in height, broad-shouldered and likely a good half a dozen stone in muscle heavier. However, that doesn't matter a lick in regards to the sudden hole that blooms square between his eyes above the frame of his dark shades and sends the brute tumbling to the ground before his parted lips could utter even a single syllable - the silencer on Merlin's gun muffling the sound before he lowers it. Merlin's pace doesn't pause in the slightest even as he steps over the body of the unknown man while his left arm simultaneously reaches out to push the entrance to the club open. There are no signs that there had been any commotion in the large room when he makes his way past the main lobby, the cleanup crew obviously efficient in this establishment because Merlin knew there was no way his boy would have gotten out without causing _some_ kind of damage somewhere. 

The scantily clad lads that traipsed around serving men paid no mind to the newcomers, already busy with their current customers. Security, however, noted something amiss at the moment no answer came from their outside guard. When Merlin and his two colleagues are approached, Merlin affects a gently confused expression even as his gun-wielding hand is tucked casually behind his back. 

"Excuse me, sir, but may I see your membership card?" The man that speaks is nearly a head and a half shorter than Merlin is, but that would never make the technician underestimate someone. 

"Nay. I dun have one. Y'see. I'm here about an... Aquisition that ye people lost not so very long ago. I am here ta offer a... Repayment of sorts." With one smooth movement, his gun is pressed against the blond man's forehead and the trigger pulled, sending his head whipping back in a fantastic splash of crimson that sprays the tall man's chest. Shouts and screams pierce the air after a shocked moment, staff and patrons alike scrambling for cover as well as the exits. When the security guard falls, the two that had been following behind him by several feet rush forward with guns drawn. Feirefiz darts around the towering agent, his own five foot three frame moving with a deadly force as he strikes the gun arm of one of the guards to dislocate it at the elbow joint an instant before a spring in the air allows him to kick the much larger man in the head to send him down. A knee to the neck with a crushing twist and the man is dead, his fellow agent Erec's lanky body moving with the serpentine grace of a belly dancer to avoid blows from the two men he was engaging with not ten feet away as he used his umbrella to stave off bullets.

Merlin, in the center of the club by now, is nearly surrounded but his features do not show any sort of distress, but instead his thin lips are pulled back to bare his teeth in a feral snarl as his hauls a man in to twist around to use as a shield from the bullets of another - umbrella long since having been knocked from his grasp several assailants ago. The man in his grip stops struggling as he is riddled with lead, going limp as he is whipped around and used as fodder for the agent and tossed aside when the security guards begin to once again move in. Merlin clicks his heels and a blade a couple of inches in length pops from the front of one, the agent twisting in a rough pirouette that allows him to score hits against two men that are affected by the toxins near immediately and fall to the ground as they writhe. 

Feirefiz and Erec work in tandem as more guards pour from seemingly nowhere, a neverending rush of fodder to feed the furor that the two agents can sense from their leader as they do their best to watch his back while maintaining their own. A laugh rings out over the sounds of shouts and gunfire, Erec looking over to see Merlin with a knife sticking out of his right shoulder, the Scot rearing back and then forward to viciously headbutt the perpetrator, then sweep his feet from beneath him. He then swoops down to savagely slice his throat, the man clutching at the wound as blood gushes between his squeezing fingers - Merlin already having moved on to hamstringing the next enemy that had tried to kick him off the one whose throat he had just cut. 

Erec swallows then cries out as he is decked in the jaw hard enough to send him turned halfway around, Feirefiz shooting the man in the throat before going back to his own fighting with a virtually happy grin on his face, eyes vengeful. Erec continues to fight, making his way towards Merlin as the giant of an agent is surrounded by more and more men. Erec begins to dodge and shoot, dodge and shoot, wasting no time with flourishes or fancy moves so that he can make it to his teammate, only to find the Scot bellowing out a song as he fights men with his fists. 

 

_What wakes the Poet's lyre?_  
'Tis Beauty;  
What kindles his poetic fire?  
'Tis Beauty;  
What makes him seek, at evening's hour,  
The lonely glen, the leafy bower,  
When dew hangs on each little flower?  
Oh! it is Beauty.  
What melts the soldier's soul?  
'Tis Beauty;  
What can his love of fame control?  
'Tis Beauty;  
For oft, amid the battle's rage,  
Some lovely vision will engage  
His thoughts and war's rough ills assuage:  
Such power has Beauty.  
What tames the savage mood?  
'Tis Beauty;  
What gives a polish to the rude?  
'Tis Beauty;  
What gives the peasant's lowly state  
A charm which wealth cannot create,  
And on the good alone will wait?  
'Tis faithful Beauty.  
Then let our favourite toast  
Be Beauty;  
Is it not king and peasant's boast?  
Yes, Beauty;  
Then let us guard with tender care  
The gentle, th' inspiring fair,  
And Love will a diviner air  
Impart to Beauty.** 

Erec swallows, noting the blood streaking his superior's face and dives into the fray, making sure to stay out of the near berserker-like movements of the Scotsman. When Feirefiz joins him, he is surprised to see that the room is littered with bodies, Merlin taking down the last with a loud snap of the neck that is made all the more vicious with the sultry music as a background. After the body drops, the man stands and smoothes his blood-caked hands against the blue of his suit without much of a care, turning his head with a slight tilt towards the other two men as he simultaneously tips his foot to use the floor to push the blade back into his shoe.

"Shall we, gentlemen?" With that, he strides towards a door marked 'staff only' and narrows his eyes as he finds a staircase leading down that he is quick to follow with a gun drawn and his agents quick on his heels. The stairs lead down to a concrete hallway that has five doorways: two to each side and one at the end. A quick check of the first one to the right and Merlin curses as he finds a boy that could be no more than thirteen chained to the wall and covered in bruises and cuts, hanging by his arms with a body that was just this side of malnourished. Merlin reholsters his gun before moving forward on quiet feet towards the boy, hoping to the Gods that the child is alive. The boy wakes from his dazed state as Merlin approached, green eyes widening at the sheer size of the man as the freckled teen begins to whimper and struggle weakly. Merlin feels more emotion well within him, like a madness, but he keeps it from his face and voice as he kneels to make himself appear smaller, lifting his hands in a placating manner to try to distract from his no doubt fierce looking features.

"Shhh, laddie. Shhh. It's fine. Aye. I am here t'rescue ye." He reaches out but stops when the child cries out and tries to pull back, swallowing and licking his lips as he gestures towards his face, "aye. I know tha' muh face looks like a grumpy old man, bu' I swear ta ye tha' I'm gunna get ye safe, lad. I promise ye." The young boy had begun silently crying by this point, auburn curls matted to frame his pale and cherubic face. The other two agents had stayed outside for all of this, but could hear the goings on and were steadily filled with more disgust for the place they would certainly be burning to the ground once they were assured it was clear. Merlin pulls out a lock picking tool and begins with the spreader bar that keeps the boy's ankles wide, the child closing his legs the instant he can with a pained whimper that he quickly tries to stifle with a scared look at the technician. Merlin stifles the urge to growl in anger that one so young was so afraid. "Shhh. It's okay," he murmurs as he slowly reaches up to begin working on the manacles that keep the boy's wrists trapped, "what's yur name, lad? Ye can tell me." He waits and is pleasantly surprised when only a few moments pass when the lad speaks in a heavy Scottish accent.

"A-Aonghus... S-sir..."

The boy's voice is deeper than one would have expected from his small frame, the child flinching a bit when Merlin inhales sharply at the 'Sir.'

"Nay, boy. Ye dun hafta call me sir. Muh name is... It is Absalom." Merlin allows his own accent to thicken to hopefully allow Aonghus to feel more at ease and it seems to work slightly if the relaxing of his body once his arms are free is any indication. The sudden slam of a small body against his and skinny arms around his neck is enough of a shock that he freezes for a moment before gingerly hugging Aonghus back. He blinks his eyes and exhales slowly as he hears the boy's tear-filled voice.

"Tapadh leat. Tapadh leat. Bha iad an seo fad cho fada. A 'miannachadh mo mhac. A bheil thu ag iarraidh mo dha....!*" Aonghus' form shakes and Merlin has to gently pry him away so that he can peel his suit jacket off and drape it around the lad's naked body, the coat reaching almost to his knees. He speaks in kind to the boy to help him be even more at ease.

"Aye. Nì mi mo dhìcheall gus do thoirt gu do mhac agus dha.**" He switches back to English so that his agents can understand him again. "How old are ye, boy?" Aonghus mutters fourteen, already trying to inch closer to Merlin again as if for comfort. Merlin offers him a tight-lipped smile and turns his head slightly towards the door. "I have two of muh agents with me. I need ye ta stay with them while I check around, Aonghus, can ye do that for me, lad? Can ye be brave fer me fer jus' a bit longer?" Tears start to spill from the teenager's large green eyes again, but he nods nevertheless, reaching to grasp Merlin's hand like a lifeline. Merlin swallows thickly and stands to lead the boy to Erec, handing him off. The second room is, thankfully, empty, but the third holds a man that looks in his mid-forties, though he is quite fit. Unfortunately, the man seems to have succumbed to his wounds or something such as that and his body had long ago gone cold and stiff in his chains. The last two rooms are also empty and Merlin huffs in anger, wanting to know where his prey was, his bloodlust not yet satiated. He needed the person in the suit. Only then would he be satisfied. As if on cue, that same voice that he would likely hear in his nightmares rings out over the speaker in the last room they were currently checking, Aonghus crying out in terror.

"My oh my~ Looks like Aurora's knight in shining armor is a bit _laaaate_ ~ We were able to get a few... Uses out of the pretty thing before he so ungratefully eliminated one of my top customers and ran away. Such a shame. Ivan was quite adept at what he did. Always a thrill to watch him when he worked, though, he wanted privacy for our little Aurora. A shame. Might have saved him if he hadn't insisted on that bit. Ah, well. Plenty of fishes in the sea and such. So. How are you~? You must be the one he was screaming for. 'Abs- Merlin,' was it? Such a lovely voice he has, yes?"

Merlin is stock still the entire time the voice speaks and when they are finally finished, his voice is deathly calm when he speaks, "where are ye? I think we have some things to discuss."

A laugh rings out before the voice speaks again, "tsk tsk. As if I would tell you that so easily. Silly man. I will have to punish you for messing with one of my more lucrative clubs, though, so stay tuned for that. Anyways~ Ta for now." The speaker crackles and goes silent, Merlin unable to help as a roar of rage rips from his throat the same instant as he whips out his gun to shoot the speaker several times, stalking out of the room. Aonghus is on his heels and grasping his hand a few moments later, seemingly unaffected by Merlin's brief loss of control - seeing him as the lesser of threats. Erec and Feirefiz walk before and behind him to watch for any enemies previously missed, but they make it to the entrance unscathed. There is a cleanup crew from their branch in Scotland already there that begins to file in the moment the three agents and the boy walk out, one of the EMTs trying to take the boy away but Aonghus beginning to struggle and cling to Merlin. Merlin sighs softly and kneels, meeting those green eyes.

"Do ye wanna come with me until we can find yur ma and da?" He cannot fathom why he offers, but he... He finds he cannot help himself, hoping Eggsy will be able to understand. Aonghus nods and hugs him again, the agent standing, lifting the boy to hold him even though he was far too old for such a thing. Merlin glances around, eyes fierce and expression even more so, as if daring anyone to say a word to him about it. No one does, the blood on his face making his already sharp features look even more savage - a warrior returning from battle. "Feirefiz. Erec. We need to meet with Caradoc, Calogrenant, an' Eliwlod at the pickup point. We are... Aonghus will be coming with us." He turns and strides towards their cab without hesitance, knowing that his agents will follow him. Once they reach the cab, shock blankets are wrapped around the boy once he can be coaxed out of Merlin's lap. Aonghus wolfs down several nutrient bars, probably not even tasting them and drowns them with water only to promptly fall asleep curled against Merlin's side after that. Merlin looks down at the curly haired boy and smiles just a bit, then blinks and looks up at Erec with a faint glare as he hears the man chuckle. "Ye got somethin' ta say?" A brow is quirked after the words are spoken and Erec shakes his head, picking up his tablet. Merlin grumbles and picks up his own as they make their way to the pickup point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Is a traditional Scottish song called Beauty. Hee hee.
> 
> *Thank you. Thank you. Been here so long. Want my ma. Want my da.
> 
> **Aye. I will do my best to get you to your ma and da.
> 
> Comments give me life~ Suggestions? Prompts can be left in my Askbox on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/literatureorgasm) ! I could use the practice~

**Author's Note:**

> Comments? Suggestions? Prompts can be left in my Askbox on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/literatureorgasm) ! I could use the practice~


End file.
